Our people

Our Chair - Dr Kenneth (Ken) Clark

Dr Kenneth (Ken) Clark

MB ChB 1981 Otago, FRANZCOG 1989, FRACMA 2012

Dr Clark was appointed to Council in August 2020.

Dr Clark is vocationally registered in both Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Medical Administration. He is currently a practising gynaecologist in Palmerston North. Dr Clark is a past president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Dr Clark was Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of MidCentral DHB for 17 years and he chaired the national DHB CMO group for nine years until leaving his CMO role in 2019.

Dr Clark is the Chair of Council's Education Committee. He has been involved in many of Council initiatives over recent years around improving prevocational medical education.

Our Council members

Professor Marie Bismark

MBChB MPH MPsych MD FRANZCP FAFPHM (RACP)

Professor Marie Bismark was elected to Council in 2024.

She is a psychiatrist, public health physician, health lawyer, and company director. She divides her time between the Kapiti Coast, New Zealand and Melbourne, Australia.

In addition to her clinical work, Marie leads a research team at the University of Melbourne, focusing on the interface between patient safety and clinician wellbeing. She serves as a Director of several health sector organisations including the Royal Women’s Hospital and Summerset aged care. Her research has influenced regulatory policy in Australia and internationally.

Marie completed a Harkness Fellowship at Harvard has been named as one of the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence.

Professor Marie Bismark is currently a member of Council's Audit and Risk Committee and a member of the Health Committee.

Dr Stephen Child

MD 1986 Ottawa, FRCP(C) 1991, FRACP 1995

Dr Stephen Child is a Canadian-trained General Physician with an interest in Respiratory Medicine working in NZ since 1987. He is a consultant with the Department of General Medicine at Auckland DHB and continues a weekly private practice.

Stephen’s previous roles have included: Chair of the New Zealand Medical Association, DHB National Workforce Strategy Group member, the Minister of Health’s Medical Training Board member, Northern Clinical Training Network Board member, and Health Workforce New Zealand Clinical Advisor. Currently, he works part time as Chief Medical Officer for the Southern Cross Health Society and sits on the Clinical Governance group for Homecare Medical Ltd.

A recipient of the NZMA 2018 Fellowship award, Stephen continues to make an impact in the health sector. He is particularly committed to professionalism in medicine throughout his clinical, teaching and advocacy roles.

Dr Child is a member of Council's Audit and Risk Committee and a member of the Health Committee.

Dr Ainsley Goodman

MB ChB 1994 Otago, FRNZCUC 2006, FRNZCGP 2017

Dr Goodman was first elected to Council by the profession in 2018 and was re-elected for a further three year term in 2021 and 2024.

She graduated MBChB from the University of Otago in 1994 and completed fellowships in Urgent Care in 2006 and General Practice in 2017. Her career experience has been diverse, working in emergency medicine, general practice and urgent care, in the military as a civilian doctor, in medical education, telehealth, and in New Zealand, Ireland and Australia.

Dr Goodman was a member of Council’s Professional Conduct Committee from 2015 to 2018 until elected to Council. She is currently a member of Council’s Education Committee and has been Council’s representative on the Australian Medical Council’s Progress Monitoring Subcommittee since 2019.

Dr Hinamaha Lutui

MB ChB 2010 Auckland, FRNZCGP 2017

Dr Hinamaha Lutui is of Tongan and European descent. Her mother's family hail from Lapaha, Tongatapu and her father’s family are from Glasgow and Hull. Lutui is her husband’s name and hails from Ha’apai.

Dr Lutui was appointed to Council in July 2023.

Dr Lutui is a GP and fellow of the RNZCGP and one of the founding members of a Pacific provider Southpoint Family Doctors in Manukau Auckland. She is also clinical teacher for trainee interns through the University of Auckland, a GPEP teacher for the RNZCGP, the Clinical Director at The Cause Collective, and is member on the Pacific Senate (Fatu Fono Ola) at Te Whatu Ora.

After completing a science degree at Otago, Dr Lutui was still a bit lost as to which career path to follow and went on to do further studies and gained a BCA at Victoria University, before deciding to attend medical school to become a GP. After graduating from Auckland University, she trained at Middlemore Hospital, and had the opportunity to experience a CBA (Community Based Attachment) as a House Officer at Baderdrive Doctors Clinic in Mangere.  This experience cemented her career path into general practice. After completing PGY2, she went straight into GPEP training and fellowship. Dr Lutui says "I love General Practice and became a medical teacher to help others decide if this is a path they might want to follow". 

Dr Alexandra Muthu

MBChB Auckland 2000, FAFOEM (RACP) 2013, CMInstD

Dr Alexandra Muthu was elected to Council in 2024. She is an Occupational & Environmental Physician with a career long interest in worker health and wellbeing, sustainable work, and healthy workplaces.

Dr Muthu is Clinical Director OH&SS Waitemata and interim National Clinical Lead OH at Health NZ, and provides advisory and clinical services through Dynamic Health. She is a Doctors Health Advisory Service Trustee and Chair of the RACP Safety, Health & Wellbeing of Healthcare Workers Working Group. Her research interests include clinician and organisational wellbeing. 

Dr Muthu has had a diverse career in healthcare and industry including National Telehealth Service Clinical Director, Air New Zealand Physician, Mayo Clinic USA researcher, RACP Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (AFOEM) Councillor, Aotearoa NZ AFOEM Chair, Faculty Education Committee, Masters paper co-ordinator and NZ Dust Diseases Taskforce co-Chair, and is currently a member of Council's Health Committee

Miss Ming-chun Wu (Deputy Chair)

CMInstD, MBA (1st Hons), BSc, BBus, BEd, BA

Ming-chun Wu is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors and an experienced professional governor with more than 19 years of expertise in organisational transformation, strategy, and governance across public, regulatory, and community sectors. She has held senior roles at Te Puni Kōkiri, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and other government agencies, leading complex policy, strategy, and change initiatives.

Ming-chun brings extensive regulatory governance experience through her current and previous appointments to statutory bodies, including serving as Chair of the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand and Deputy Chair of the Chinese Medicine Council of New Zealand and the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board. Her deep understanding of health regulation, professional standards, and the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 supports the Medical Council's role in protecting public safety and maintaining confidence in the medical profession.

In addition to her role on the Medical Council, Ming-chun is Independent Chair of TechCollect NZ, Trustee of the Wellington Community Fund, and a Director of Network for Learning Limited. She is passionate about effective governance that strengthens public trust, enables organisational performance, and delivers positive outcomes for New Zealanders.

Ming-chun currently serves as Chair of the Council's Audit and Risk Committee.

Professor Ron Paterson

LLB(Hons) 1979 Auckland, BCL 1981 Oxford, FRACP (Hon) 2014

Prof Ron Paterson grew up in South Auckland, of Scottish and Ngāti Raukawa descent. Ron is a health law and ethics expert, with a diverse career as a law professor at Auckland University, Deputy Director-General of Safety and Regulation, Health and Disability Commissioner, Parliamentary Ombudsman, and Visiting Fellow at Melbourne University (teaching Patient Safety & the Law). He is a former director of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians board and chair of the Banking Ombudsman Scheme.

Ron has led several major inquiries and reviews in New Zealand and Australia, in patient safety and quality, medical regulation, veterans’ support, maternity care, aged care, mental health and the regulation of lawyers. He is the author of The Good Doctor: What Patients Want (2012), and is Chair of Council's Health Committee.

In his spare time, Ron enjoys off-road running, tramping and helping on a farm near Lake Waikaremoana.

Our Manukura (Chief Executive) - Ms Joan Simeon

Joan was appointed Manukura | Chief Executive in 2017, having spent the previous 14 years in various senior executive roles at Council.

Joan holds a Master’s in Public Management and a post-graduate qualification in Dispute Resolution. Joan is the Chair of the International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities (IAMRA).

Joan has a strong interest in using medical regulatory levers, alongside influence to improve professionalism, ensure competence and ultimately public safety. Joan is an advocate for equity in healthcare and sees the regulator as having a key role in achieving this.

You can follow Joan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joan-simeon-b026214a/

Our Pouroki (Registrar) - Ms Christine Anderson

LL.B, B.A. (VUW)

Christine Anderson is the Council’s Pouroki (Registrar). Christine is an experienced lawyer and leader.  

Before joining the Medical Council, Christine was the Registrar for Te Pou Whakamana Kaimatū o Aotearoa | Pharmacy Council of New Zealand. Prior to this, Christine worked as a lawyer, mostly for professional regulators.